Browsing by Subject "Wire Mesh"
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Item Evaluation of the Thermal Performance for a Wire Mesh/Hollow Glass Microsphere Composite Structure as a Conduction Barrier(2010-01-15) Mckenna, SeanAn experimental investigation exploring the use of wire mesh/hollow glass microsphere combination for use as thermal insulation was conducted with the aim to conclude whether or not it represents a superior insulation technology to those on the market. Three primary variables, including number of wire mesh layers, filler material, and temperature dependence were studied using an apparatus that was part of L.I.C.H.E.N (LabVIEW Integrated Conduction Heat Experiment Network), a setup whose basic components allow three vertically stacked samples to be thermally and mechanically controlled. Knowing the temperature profile in the upper and lower samples allows for determination of thermal conductivity of the middle material through the use of Fourier?s law. The numbers of layers investigated were two, four, six, and eight, with each separated by a metallic liner. The filler materials included air, s15, s35 and s60HS 3MTM hollow glass microspheres. The experiments were conducted at four temperatures of 300, 330, 366, and 400K with an interface pressure of 20 Psi. The experimental results indicated the ?number of layers? used was the primary factor in determining the effective thermal conductivity value. The addition of hollow glass microspheres as filler material resulted in statistically insignificant changes in effective thermal conductivity. Increasing the number of wire mesh layers resulted in a corresponding increase in effective thermal conductivity of the insulation. Changes in temperature had little to no effect on thermal conductivity. The effective thermal conductivity values for the proposed insulation structure ranged from 0.22 to 0.65 W/m-K, the lowest of which came from the two layer case having air as filler material. The uncertainties associated with the experimental results fell between 10 to 20 percent in all but a few cases. In the best performing cases, when compared with existing insulation technologies, thermal conductivity was approximately 3 to 10 times higher than these methods of insulation. Thus, the proposed insulation scheme with hollow glass-sphere filler material does not represent superior technology, and would be deemed uncompetitive with those readily available in the insulation market.Item Experimental evaluation of wire mesh for design as a bearing damper(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Choudhry, Vivek VaibhavWire mesh vibration dampers have been the subject of some very encouraging experiments at the Texas A&M Turbomachinery laboratories for the past several years and have emerged as an excellent replacement for squeeze film dampers. Their capability to provide damping for a wide range of temperatures (even cryogenic), fluid free operation and ability to perform even when soaked with lubricants makes them a suitable option as a bearing damper. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of design parameters like axial thickness and axial compression that influence the characteristics of wire mesh as a bearing damper. Two groups of wire mesh were tested to show that the stiffness and damping are directly proportional to the axial thickness, if all the other parameters are kept constant. Tests on four wire mesh donuts of different radial thickness showed that stiffness and damping vary inversely with radial thickness. Rigorous tests were also conducted to quantify the effects of axial compression, radial interference and displacement amplitude on stiffness and damping of the wire mesh. Another novel kind of mesh damper tested was comprised of two small segments instead of a whole donut. The results showed that wire mesh exhibited good damping characteristics even when used in small segments. Empirical expressions were developed using MathCADTM worksheets, and an existing ExcelTM design worksheet was modified to include these factors. The effect of frequency variation was also included to give a comprehensive design tool for wire mesh. A new design worksheet was developed that can predict rotordynamic coefficients for a wire mesh bearing damper having a different size as well as different installation and operational conditions.